


Lead Weights

by druscilla



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Touring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:04:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4824701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/druscilla/pseuds/druscilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Today is one of Pete's bad days and Patrick is there to help him make it through to tomorrow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lead Weights

Pete is having a bad day would be an understatement. He’s fucking miserable, his body practically dragging across the sidewalk, he’s so heavy. Lead weights in his shoes and his eyelids. He trips over his own feet a few times before Patrick slips an arm around his shoulders to help take part of the load off.

There’s a couch in one corner of the dressing room and Pete falls into it, pressing his face to the cushion and pulling his hood up, trying to hide from all the sounds he’s drowning in. Patrick sits next to him and rubs his back for a minute. It helps a little. When Patrick leaves, that helps too. Pete’s head laughs at him and he feels it like a punch to the gut. He tries to bite his fingernails but there’s nothing left.

Everyone leaves eventually, except Patrick who shuffles between silence and singing quietly. Pete wishes he would just pick one and stick with it. The constant back and forth is making his bones rattle. He wants to say something, but he knows he’ll scream it and that’s not fair, so he swallows the words like pills that don’t help and tries to hold his bones at bay.

Pete gets up at some point, in the middle of a verse, and sits down next to Patrick on the other couch. He pushes his face to the crook of the boy’s shoulder and feathers kisses there while a hand runs up and down his back. When the song is done, Patrick kisses his forehead and Pete kisses his mouth. Then he hides in the boy’s neck again.

Pete falls asleep first, but Patrick is asleep as well when someone comes to get them for sound check. If Pete was heavy before, he’s floating now. It’s not a happy bounce in his step; he’s fifty feet above the ground and panicking because he can’t get down. Over wide eyes stare at Patrick the entire time as he just stands there and plays through, hardly aware of the sound.

Pete runs out afterward and when he shows back up to change, there’s a little kick to his step and a not-quite-there smile in the corners of his mouth. They both know why and they both ignore it. Pete gets dressed and sits next to Patrick until they get dragged down the hallway.

The night is shooting into Pete’s veins like a drug and he’s smiling for real now, but it’s for all the wrong reasons. His heart is pounding and he knows the next few hours are just a bandaid before the cut opens up again. He’s bouncing on his toes when they get to the meet and greet.

The switch off is as immediate as he expects. The post-show high is nonexistent and Patrick has to help him down the hallway so he doesn’t trip over the lead weighs again. There’s a single stall shower and Patrick waits until everyone else is done so he can drag Pete into it. He strips them both down and washes the older boy’s hair, helping him dress in pajama pants afterward so he can go right to bed.

That’s not how it ends up working out. Pete wants to watch a movie and Patrick plays it on the laptop, hoping it well help him fall asleep faster if they’re curled up in his bunk.

Pete cries too hard during the sad parts and doesn’t even smile during the funny bits. He kisses Patrick and Patrick kisses back, but with a hand on the other boy’s chest to keep him from going in too deep. Sex is just another bandaid, even if Pete doesn’t agree.

Pete falls asleep before the final scene and Patrick stays with him until his own eyes close. Tomorrow is another day and they’ll do it all again if they have too. That’s all there is.


End file.
